Castro seeks Church’s help in curbing abortion?

Havana, Cuba, Oct 14, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- In an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa, who just returned from a visit to Cuba, said Fidel Castro is seeking the help of the Catholic Church to curb the number of abortions in that country.

Cuba is the only country in Latin America where abortion is considered a family planning method, and during recent decades the number of women who have undergone the procedure has become alarming.

"Fidel Castro has asked our help in combating the plague of abortion in Cuba," said the cardinal, adding that recourse to abortion "is also a consequence of sexual tourism. Naturally Castro is concerned, and I was embarrassed by the behavior of certain Italians who travel abroad."

According to Cardinal Bertone, Castro is concerned about the spread of abortions and considers it to be on the causes of the country’s demographic crisis.